Harry Potter and the Last Black Witch
by Marie9
Summary: Post-Epilogue HP. Witches and wizards are vanishing in Japan, and a horribly familiar mark is the only clue left. Head Auror Harry goes to Japan along with Ron to assist, and they meet some...rather interesting allies while protecting one Koizumi Akako.
1. Chapter 1

Set post-epilogue as far as HP goes. Lemme know what you think! :) *Minor edits for grammar and structure now included!*

* * *

"Mr. Potter." Kingsley Shacklebolt's rich, confident voice came out of Harry's fireplace with a faint echo as Kingsley's lynx Patronus finished materializing in Harry's office, causing the Head Auror to drop his pen and look over at his hearth in surprise. "If you'd Floo over to my office at the first opportunity, please. The gargoyles will be expecting you."

"I'll come right away, sir," nodded Harry to the silvery, spectral cat as he got up out of his seat. After the lynx smiled and vanished, Harry pushed the intercom button that led to his wonderfully efficient, reliable secretary. "Anne, can you cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the afternoon? Mr. Shacklebolt's sent a meeting request via his Patronus just now."

"Of course," replied Anne cheerfully. Neither of them had to mention how unusual- and therefore how significant- the Head of the Ministry of Magic scheduling an appointment directly was, much less him using his Patronus to do so. "Do you want me to reschedule for tomorrow, or sometime later in the week? You've got some interviews lined up for the north regional Auror squad leader position, and a phone interview with the Daily Prophet regarding the dragon egg smuggling over in Diagon Alley last week."

"Let's start by rescheduling everything for tomorrow, and I'll let you know if things change alright? Thanks again, Anne." Harry released the intercom button and dug in his desk for the sack of Floo Powder that he kept in his desk for the trip home after work. _Right, then. Time to see what this is all about. _He resealed the pouch, got up out of his desk and walked over to his fireplace. After he threw the large pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace, the emerald green flames waited to hear his destination. "Kingsley Shacklebolt's office," Harry stated firmly after taking a step forward.

As soon as Harry finished appearing in the Minister of Magic's office, he was being inspected closely by the pair of medium-sized stone gargoyles that perched on the mantle of the fireplace, their ruby eyes studying him and their noses twitching intently as they took in his scent. They could see through any sort of attempted disguise, Muggle or magical in origin, and they would forcibly send any unannounced visitor down to a waiting, well-secured prison cell through a combination of the Stupefy spell and Floo powder. After a few moments the gargoyles slowly returned to their normal, immobile state facing Kingsley's desk, satisfied that Harry was really Harry.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Mr. Potter. I think you'll agree that it's a critically important development, and an unpleasant one as well, once you finish seeing and hearing everything." Kingsley got up out of his plush seat and indicated a large scroll that was lying on his desk. "Our Department of International Magical Cooperation received a letter first thing this morning from the headquarters of the International Confederation of Wizards." He frowned and studied the scroll before reestablishing eye contact with the Head Auror. "They brought it straight to me after they finished reading what our Japanese allies had to say. Have a look and tell me what you think."

The first thing on the scroll that caught Harry's eye instantly made his throat go completely dry while he blinked twice in disbelief, absolutely sure at first that his eyes were playing tricks on him- or at least he prayed that they were. It was an all _too_ familiar symbol, but one that he hasn't seen in going on twenty years. He pulled his glasses off and cleaned them while he desperately wished in his mind for the hated symbol to vanish. To his disappointment, however, the evil-looking snake emerging like a tongue from an angry skull's open mouth was still glaring at him malevolently after he put his glasses back on. Harry then realized that there was actually a letter written below the symbol, in neat, precise typewritten English.

_To Whom it May Concern within the Confederation:_

_We've had a number of witches and wizards disappear in Japan over the last two months, with the number of kidnappings greatly increasing in the last two weeks. It's gotten to the point where we're no longer sure how long our Obliviator squads can keep up with modifying the memories of the Muggles witnessing and investigating these various incidents. At least thirty witches and wizards so far have suddenly vanished without a trace since the incidents were first reported to us, and the above symbol being left of the wall of the most recent victim's apartment is our only real lead in any of the cases._

_We're all too familiar with what and especially who the symbol represents, which is why we've contacted the Confederation. We also strongly suspect, but cannot confirm at this time, that the last known black witch is their primary target as our colleagues in other countries have had no such kidnappings occur. We hereby formally request the aid of the International Confederation of Wizards, particularly that of the British-based Ministry of Magic as they're so familiar with this enemy, and that it be dispatched as quickly as possible. _

_Regards,_

_Tanaka Nanako_

_(writing on behalf of Oonishi Manami)_

Harry cocked an eyebrow as he read the last lines of the request for assistance. "Last known black witch? What exactly do they mean by that?" He met Kingsley's eyes while wearing a puzzled frown. "I thought we'd finished flushing the last few pockets of Death Eaters out of hiding at least five or six years ago." Those who had clung to the Death Eater's ideals after Voldemort's fall had quickly learned that they weren't going to get very far without the Dark Lord's evil machinations backing their efforts. Judging by their symbol being left behind at a recent kidnapping, though, it seemed that there were at least _some_ of them that were still soldiering on in spite of their leader's death close to twenty years ago.

Kingsley suddenly withdrew into himself for a moment before regarding Harry with a grim expression. His face then lit up with a roguish grin. "How well did you pay attention in your Magical History classes back when you attended Hogwarts, Mr. Potter?"

"Which part of it, exactly? We studied a lot of different stuff in that class," Harry replied with a grin of his own. He suddenly wished that he could call up Hermione and ask her; if anyone would know every last detail of that particular subject, it would be his incredibly intelligent friend.

Kingsley nodded as his face and tone became serious again. "Indeed, Mr. Potter; it's a very lengthy, broad subject. Of particular interest to this discussion, however, is the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy- especially its signing and the events that led to that signing."

Harry settled into a seat opposite the Minister's desk and began trying to recall his long-ago schooling. "Well, I know the movement for the treaty got started because of the increasing tensions between Muggles and magic users back in the late 1600s. The Salem witch trials were really what finally brought everything to a head, with all of the witches being burned left and right- and a lot of Muggles being falsely accused of being witches and burned at the stake as well." Harry looked skyward, reaching back into the dusty corners of his mind for any further information that he could recall. "It was officially signed into law in...1692 or 1693, I forget which."

"Exactly." The Minister of Magic's face and tone grew solemn. "It was ratified in 1692, actually. However, when the statute was officially enacted, there was a not-insignificant contingent of witches and wizards that didn't _want _to go underground and live in secrecy alongside the Muggles. They felt that hiding Magic from the rest of the world wasn't the proper course of action to take." Kingsley cleared his throat. "It was eventually decreed that the witches and wizards who deliberately chose to not obey the new statute were to be considered 'black listed' by those obeying the new treaty. In short, if they were found out and Muggles came after them, they weren't to be given any assistance by the Confederation." He took a drink of water and continued in the same grim tone. "It was a very controversial decision that not everyone signing the statute agreed with, but it was felt to be the best long-term course of action for the Wizarding world as a whole."

"I sure don't remember reading about that in the history books we studied," muttered Harry as he rubbed his chin in thought. "And I take it the 'black listed' thing is how the term 'black witch' came about?"

"Yes. Those witches and wizards are _also_ where a lot of the Muggle stereotypes regarding witches and wizards originated from; they tried to keep the Muggles at bay without fighting them by using fear. Of course, we've tried to carefully cultivate those stereotypes in Muggle culture over the centuries as well so that the Muggles won't look too closely at their neighbors." Kingsley sat back down in his chair. "It doesn't surprise me that you didn't know about it. It's a dirty little episode that the Wizarding world would like to forget entirely if it were possible. In fact, there are some wizarding families that still bear some ill will towards the Confederation to this day because of black listed relatives that were denied aid back in those days."

"So...what exactly happened to these black witches and wizards?" Harry could make a pretty good guess, though, seeing as how there was only one apparently left living.

"Their numbers gradually decreased over the centuries, as you've probably already surmised" replied Kingsley with a shrug. "Some were killed by Muggles; some simply died of old age. A few of them were also killed by the Confederation after they decided to start using their powers to try and manipulate and control Muggles, if they refused to listen to reason when confronted about it by the Confederation. Quite a number of others eventually decided to start abiding by the statute after they realized that it would be a hard, lonely road ahead without the Confederation's assistance, and their families are still active in the Wizarding world to this day."

"So now there's only one left? And they're in Japan?" Harry frowned. "Just what would Death Eaters want with this person, anyhow?"

"Well, it's not absolutely certain that she's the only one left, but it's believed that she is." Kingsley rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "To be frank, it's always been whispered that some of the more powerful black witches and wizards had the ability to contact the underworld. They, ahem, didn't believe that much in the way of magic was off-limits, including some of the Unforgivable Curses." He cleared his throat again. "In fact, Lucifer himself was said to be at the beck and call of the more powerful among them. I really don't like to think that it would be their goal, but perhaps the remnants of the Death Eaters want to see what can be done about bringing Voldemort back from the dead."

Harry leapt up out of his seat so quickly and violently that the chair he was sitting in crashed to the floor, filling the room with a soft thud as the maroon carpet absorbed the impact. "That _can't_ be allowed to happen," he cried passionately.

"I had a feeling you'd feel that way," grinned Kingsley as he stood up and placed his hand on his desk. "That's why I think it would be best if you went to Japan yourself and lent them your assistance. I normally wouldn't want to send such a high-ranking person because of the potential dangers, but this is a-" Kingsley seemed to be searching for the right words- "...special situation. Ms. Colt can reschedule your appointments, I'm sure." He cocked an eyebrow. "Perhaps Mr. Weasely would like to join you as well?"

"I'll try and get a hold of Ron after we're done here to see if he can come along. Just give me a name and a place in Japan to head to, sir," growled Harry in a voice filled with determination as he grabbed a napkin and pen from his pocket.

* * *

"Have _you_ ever seen a symbol like that before, Satou-san?" As his partner shook her head, Takagi Wataru continued to study the strange symbol that seemed to be spray-painted in neon green on the wall. _Seemed_, because it wasn't any kind of spray paint product or brand that their labs could readily identify. An angry-looking snake emerging from the mouth of an equally irate-looking skull took up a good two and a half feet of the wall the pair was studying.

"The symbol's been run through the yakuza and gang symbol databases already, too. No hits on it in either one." Satou Miwako frowned as she turned her attention away from the wall and surveyed the apartment...an apartment that was eerily neat and clean for someone that was supposed to have been kidnapped. Aside from Tezuka Ayami having failed to show up to her job or answer her phone in over a week- the missing persons report had been filed by her boss, in fact- there really didn't seem to be anything pointing to the young woman being forced anywhere against her will. The only detail that concerned the detective was that Ayami's purse, with quite a bit of yen and all of her IDs, credit cards and half-charged cell phone still in it, had been sitting on the edge of her nearly made up futon when the officers had been let into the apartment by the landlord.

It was the latest in what was turning out to be an incredibly frustrating string of vanishings for the Tokyo prefecture. Ayami made the seventh strange, eerie dissappearance reported in the last two months, and the First Division homicide team had finally been called in because it seemed more and more likely that a particularly meticulous, shadowy serial killer might be at work. Of course, it really didn't help that all of the witnesses' memories, and even some of the officer's notes and reports, were peppered with strange gaps in memory and an almost total lack of detail across the board.

Takagi looked around at the three or four other officers trying to move around in the small apartment, concern filling his features as he studied the other people in the room. "Um...do you recognize any of these other detectives, Satou-san?"

After Satou began studying the faces of the other detectives more closely, she realized that she didn't recognize _any_ of them aside from Chiba and Shiratori. "Except for Chiba-kun and Shiratori-kun, no I don't." A shiver ran up her spine as she grabbed Takagi's sleeve gently and pulled him towards the other two. "Do you two recognize any of these others?" she whispered as she finished approaching the other two.

"I don't recognize any of them, and neither does Satou-san" explained Takagi in a hushed tone as he looked around. "I know Megure-keibu mentioned that they might be bringing in one or two officers from other prefectures and towns where they've had kidnappings, but something just doesn't feel right here."

"Y'know, now that you mention it I _don't_ recognize anyone." A worried look crossed Chiba's face as he examined the others in the room. "Maybe we should call Megure-keibu and see if he knows how many officers were supposed to come, or what their names are."

"Ah, you four must be with Megure-keibu's unit. First Division Homicide, right?" A confident, older-sounding male voice came from the group's left. They turned to see a trim, middle-aged man wearing a well-groomed brown mustache, equally groomed brown hair and a dark green three-piece suit. His eyes almost seemed to twinkle as he studied the four of them. "I'm Subaru Yachiru, Fifth Division Homicide's keibu. I apologize for the delay in introductions; if you'll all please come with me for just a bit, we'll do some proper introductions and get everything organized." He pulled out his photo police ID and let the group inspect it. Once Chiba handed it back to him, he indicated the apartment's front door. "We've set up a meeting room in a vacant apartment down the hallway- you're just in time for a quick strategy meeting, in fact."

After he sent the quartet to the three Obliviators awaiting them in the other apartment, Yachiru rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly while he watched the door close. He then turned his attention to a competent-looking, slightly plump black-haired young woman wearing a grey skirt suit that matched her grey-toned tortoiseshell glasses. "I really don't think that we can keep doing this to the police, _or_ the witnesses involved, much longer, Tanaka-san. I've heard a lot of grumblings in a lot of different departments about how no one can remember anything about these cases- the grumbles of my own division included, of course." Yachiru frowned. "There may be the risk that these kidnappings are given even _more _scrutiny because of that, and I know that's not what the Center wants at all." The police department's long-time Muggle liaison gave his longtime friend and ally a cautious look. "Plus, is this...Obliviating, or whatever it's called, really good for them?"

Nanako offered the keibu a warm smile as she made adjustments to her hair sticks, which held her shoulder-length hair in an artfully disarrayed bunch. "Don't worry, Subaru-san; I assure you everyone that becomes an Obliviator is very, _very_ highly trained - in fact, it's their entire job. The only long-term effects are on the memories that are overwritten."

"As long as it's safe," he replied with a nod. Yachiru was also half-watching the three Aurors in the room, who had all dressed as policemen in case a nosy reporter or a real policeman showed up on the scene. "So...what are they looking for exactly? A magic trail, or the remains of a portal? Something like that that could explain how these people are just vanishing?"

"I'm sorry Subaru-san, but that's on a very strict need-to-know basis." Nanako shook her head in frustration as she looked around the apartment. "I just wish we could figure out why they're making these moves_ now_. They've been pretty quiet for the last twenty or so years, so what's kicked this into gear?" she mused as she studied the Dark Mark that had been drawn on the wall of the apartment.

A tired-looking young man who looked to be somewhere in his early to mid twenties walked up to the pair, turning towards Nanako and bowing slightly. "Tanaka-san, it doesn't look like they saw too much but we altered their memories anyway, for safety's sake." This was followed by a yawn that was hidden behind his hand.

"Thank you, Chidori-kun. I know that the Department has been running you and your fellow Obliviators ragged lately."

Chidori Toshiro offered a laugh tinged with weariness, running his hand through slightly shaggy dark brown hair. "To be honest, we're really not sure if we're doing any good at this point. This thing is becoming way _too_ big - it's getting harder and harder for us to keep sweeping it under the rug." He stifled another yawn. "Too many witnesses, too many officers investigating that have to be watched and have their memories altered constantly..." The exhausted Obliviator let the sentence drift off unfinished.

"Just what is this all about, exactly? All these witch and wizard kidnappings...and this group." Yachiru pointed his thumb at the Dark Mark that was on the wall behind him. "I've been briefed on a few different things, but I'd like some straight answers so that I can know what we Muggles are dealing with," he finished in a serious tone. "I mean, I know Control has already sent off for help from Britain's Ministry of Magic because these Death Eater people originally started in England, but that's about all I was told."

"We believe that the Death Eaters are trying their hardest to locate a certain witch who's here in Japan, Subaru-san. A young witch who is, as far as we know, the last of the so-called 'black witches.' " Nanako walked over to a small wooden floor table and knelt down in front of a silver briefcase that was on the table. She pulled out her wand and tapped on the briefcase twice, whispering "_Alohamora_" under her breath on the second tap. The briefcase sprang open, revealing a set of file folders of various thicknesses. "I have a dossier we've put together on her, if you'd like to see it." She gave Yachiru a stern look. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you not to share this with _anyone_. If they're anything like they were in the old days, the Death Eaters will have eyes and ears everywhere. We don't want them to know that we know who their target is."

Yachiru walked over and picked up the dossier. "Well, if they know who this witch is, why are they kidnapping all of these other witches and wizards? It doesn't make any sense. Seems like a big amount of wasted effort on their part."

"Actually, we're going on the theory right now that all of these kidnappings are smoke screens- that the Death Eaters wanting us to scramble around thinking that it's just a string of random kidnappings." Toshiro studied the wall with the Death Eater Dark Mark on it. "What makes me wonder is why they decided to leave their mark this time. They've never done that before."

"So, this witch- what's her name? I see some pictures of her in here, but nothing has her name on it anywhere." Yachiru studied the contents of the file folder some more. "Pretty young girl, though. Reminds me a lot of my daughter."

Nanako looked at the picture of the long-haired girl that he was holding and nodded lightly. "Her name is Koizumi Akako."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers and readers! You're all incredibly awesome and incredibly patient!

* * *

"You're going on a trip? Where, exactly? And why?" Ron gave Harry a somewhat dumbfounded look after Harry called the other man into his office to explain that he was going to be out of the office for the foreseeable future. Ron shook his head in mild disbelief, realizing that _this_ was why the weekly Auror departmental meeting had so suddenly been cancelled; he also knew that there had to be an incredibly important reason for the trip. "And I'm sure you called me in here for more than just a goodbye?"

"I'm going to Japan, actually- I'm leaving later tonight. I've already explained to Ginny that I'm having to leave on an emergency trip." Harry gave his old friend a serious look as he held up a copy of the note that the Ministry had received. "And yes, I called you in here because I'd like you to come with me and help out if you can, Ron. Mr. Shacklebolt has already approved the trip for both of us, and all the Portkey travel arrangements are already in place. Officially, we're going on a diplomatic trip to compare our countries' magical policies and procedures with one another, but off the record...well, maybe it's best if I just show you. Take a look at this note." Harry waved the note Kingsley had given him around with a bit of a deliberate dramatic flourish, glancing over at it pointedly.

As with Harry when he'd seen it, the Death Eater symbol was what caught Ron's eye almost immediately as his eyes passed over at the plea for assistance. "Is that what I think that is?" His face mixed shock and horror as he quickly stepped up to the very edge of Harry's desk so he could examine the page more closely, taking in the details of the plea for aid. Ron's eyes narrowed as he glared right back at the skull and snake before looking over at Harry, eyes full of worry and determination. "That thing could never lead to anything even remotely alright..."

Harry nodded grimly. "That's exactly why we're going over there. Japan specifically asked for help from us because they recognized the Death Eater symbol, as you probably read in their letter." He folded the note up neatly and tucked it into a drawer. "Of course, we need to be as quiet as possible about the _real_ reason for our trip. I know I don't have to tell you what kind of panic would start in the Wizarding world if word got out that the Death Eaters seem to be trying to revive."

"No kidding," replied Ron with a nod of his head as he looked up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I'll talk to Hermione real quick, but I sure can't see her saying no to this." He cast an angry, hairy eyeball in the general direction of where Harry had secreted the note, then returned his gaze to the Head Auror. "What time would we be leaving tonight, then?"

"As soon as we can get packed, get back here and Portkey to Japan. There's already a magical incident containment meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at the Center for Magical Monitoring- basically, Japan's equivalent of our Ministry of Magic. They're going to give us a lot more information about what's happening, and also hopefully a few places to start investigating over there." Harry tapped the top of his desk twice, near the drawer where he'd placed the note. "I don't like this at all. We need to nip what the Death Eaters are planning in the bud, whatever it may be."

Ron frowned a bit before taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Harry's desk. "What do you think stirred the nest after all this time?" He ran a hand through his hair. "They've been awfully quiet for the past few years. Kind of strange that they're suddenly popping out of the woodwork like this."

"That's a big part of what we have to puzzle out while we're there." Harry then remembered the conversation he'd had with Kingsley earlier and decided to fill Ron in. "Mr. Shacklebolt thinks they might be looking into some ways to try and resurrect Voldemort, actually."

"Say what?" half-yelled Ron in surprise as he sat bolt upright in his chair. He gave Harry his 'Explain, please?' look as he continued to sit rigidly in his chair, Harry having now gained his full attention.

"Yeah, you heard me," began Harry with a somber nod. "He was explaining to me earlier that there's a witch in Japan who's probably the last so-called 'black witch.' I'll explain more about that to you on the way there, but long story short, she might know how to summon Lucifer, and the Death Eaters may be looking at exploiting that ability to try and bring Voldemort back."

"Are you kidding me?" Ron sounded in total disbelief. He then stood up before his serious face suddenly broke out in a wide grin. "I'll probably have to hold Hermione back from booking a flight to Japan herself once she hears about this. She'd _also_ boot my rear clear into next month if I _didn't_ go and help you with whatever this is, you know that as well as I do." He then stretched a little, nodding his head as he seemed to be thinking things over in his mind. "I'll go home and tell her what's going on real quick, then start packing." Ron offered Harry a goodbye wave as he threw a pinch of Floo powder from a pouch in his jacket into the fireplace, stepping in as soon as he uttered his address after the flame's color changed.

_Alright. Now that that's taken care of, I'll let Mr. Shacklebolt know that Ron's very likely coming with me. I suppose I should also ask him more about who exactly we're going to meet in Japan while I'm at it, too. Probably wouldn't be the best idea to go into the meeting tomorrow totally blind about who's who over there..._ He pressed his intercom button, hoping to catch his secretary at her desk. "Anne? Could you please check and see if Mr. Shacklebolt has left for the day already? I need to speak with him quickly if he hasn't yet."

"Oh, he's left already, sir, but he did come by and leave you a few pages of notes. He said you'd need them where you were going." Harry could hear the question in Anne's tone. "He also mentioned that you'll likely be out of the office for a while, sir, both you and Mr. Weasely if Mr. Weasely could go."

_I should have known Mr. Shacklebolt would be right on top of things, as usual. _Harry allowed himself an appreciative nod at the man's efficiency before replying to Anne. "Yes, both Ron and I are having to leave on an unexpected diplomatic trip to Japan. Make sure the department doesn't burn down while I'm gone, eh?"

A hearty, lilting laugh came through the intercom. "Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure to keep things in line." Her amusement showed through in her voice as well. "I'll work on shuffling your meetings around first thing tomorrow. Do you know how long you'll be gone?"

"Not yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I have more of an idea." Harry then began tidying his office a little and packing away a few things for the trip as well, wondering just what he and Ron were getting themselves into. Whatever it was, though, Harry was determined to see it through to the end.

After Harry Flooed home to begin packing, he was greeted at the fireplace by a very worried-looking Ginny. "Ron's going to go with you, right? I don't like the idea of you going to Japan by yourself."

"Hopefully he is. He's going to talk to Hermione about it, but I'm sure she'll have no problem with it." Harry turned his head and gave his wife a reassuring smile as he headed upstairs to their bedroom, then grabbed a suitcase in order to begin packing. "It shouldn't be more than a couple of weeks, but there's really no way of knowing exactly how long this might take."

Ginny sighed and nodded as she began picking through thier walk-in closet, grabbing things for Harry. "Can you please tell me what's _really_ going on, Harry? This seems way too rushed to just be a simple, ordinary diplomatic trip." She eyed him expectantly as she grabbed a few last items out of the closet and walked over to where Harry was packing things on their bed. "Usually there's only this kind of speed from the Ministry when it's an international magical incident."

_I knew she'd figure out that something was up. Time to tell her... _"You're right, Ginny. I wanted to wait until I was home to tell you everything, though." He looked at her very intently. "This has to stay between us, alright? This is top-level clearance kind of stuff."

She nodded, beginning to help tuck things into the suitcase. "Of course. Now out with it." Ginny gave him a playful smile to try and ease the tension in the room, though her eyes still showed worry in them.

"This _is_ a diplomatic trip but there's more to it than that, just like you guessed. Ron and I are actually going over there because Japan appealed to the International Confederation of Wizards for assistance this morning." He packed a few more odds and ends into the suitcase before zipping it shut. "They also asked for the Ministry of Magic in particular to help."

"For the Ministry to help? With what, exactly?" Ginny couldn't hide the surprise in her face or her voice.

"A bunch of wizards and witches all over Japan vanishing without a trace over the past couple of months or so," explained Harry grimly. "And their only clue at all so far is a Dark Mark that was left on a wall."

Ginny reacted to the mention of the Dark Mark just about how Harry had expected, paling a little as her eyes widened in shock. She let out her breath slowly, closing her eyes to calm herself, before she opened her eyes and replied with a confident nod of her head. "No wonder Japan asked for help, then. That thing would be bad news anywhere it showed up."

"Exactly," replied Harry as he placed the suitcase by the bedroom door. "And Japan is the only country that's having people vanish, so whoever it is that they're after, they're in Japan."

"Harry? Are you ready yet?" Ron's faint voice suddenly came up from downstairs.

Harry walked over and opened the door, calling loudly downstairs. "Yeah. Be right down, Ron." He turned to Ginny and laughed lightly. "He must've Flooed in. I'll get in touch once we're settled over in Japan, alright?" He gave her a quick kiss and hug before grabbing his suitcase and heading downstairs.

* * *

"Hey! Have you seen my newspaper around anywhere? It should have been here over an hour ago, but it's not at the office door downstairs." Mouri Kogoro's voice filtered through Shinichi's bedroom door after a rather firm pair of knocks.

Shinichi sighed as he got up off the carpeted floor, carefully tucking the scrapbook of information that he'd been compiling away under his bed. He then opened the door with the somewhat refolded newspaper that he'd borrowed earlier in hand, careful to look sheepish as he held it out to Kogoro. _Now to figure out a good reason for why I had this in my room, and quick. _Shinichi settled on the most believable excuse that came into his mind. "Sorry. I was looking at the comics."

"Ask next time first before you take it, brat," grumbled Kogoro in a neutral tone as he took the offered paper. "I hadn't even gotten to look at it yet." The older man turned and headed into the living room, quietly muttering something indistinguishable under his breath.

"I will," replied Shinichi chipperly before closing his door and letting the child's mask he was forced to wear fall off. _Ugh! That guy can be so annoying sometimes..._The meitantei then found his mind jumping back to why he'd taken the paper in the first place, a frown crossing his features. He quickly ducked under his bed and pulled out the small, very well hidden scrapbook of magazine and newspaper clippings that he'd been studying before Kogoro had knocked on the door. _It looks like there was another of these weird vanishings last night. That makes what, at least four or five people now in the past four or five weeks?_ Shinichi studied his carefully compiled collection of what information he'd managed to piece together on the odd occurrences, the frown on his face deepening as he skimmed the articles that he'd already mostly memorized. _Just what the heck is going on? It's almost impossible to get any real information; even the police seem to have no idea what's going on with thier own investigations._

What really worried Shinichi above all was that the kidnappings- or whatever they were- seemed to be getting more and more frequent, with shorter and shorter spans of time in between the events. He tapped a newspaper clipping on the scrapbook page he was reading, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. _It seems like the classic, steadily escalating behavior of a spree killer at first glance...but why aren't they finding any bodies? Or, well, anything at all, for that matter?_ That was the other thing that really puzzled Shinichi- unless the police were deliberately withholding an unusual amount of evidence from the public, there seemed to be no real leads in the cases at all. _Spree killers are also usually a lot more careless than this, especially after they've started escalating. _Something in his gut told him that there was something different going on here than a killer, and his gut was something Shinichi had learned never to ignore.

"Conan-kun, come on out and have some breakfast before it gets cold!" Ran's cheery voice on the other side of the door caused Shinichi to smile as he tucked the scrpabook away again. He quickly slipped into his usual outfit and put on his fake glasses, checking himself in the mirror before heading out of his room.

"Thanks, Ran-neechan!" Shinichi's stomach grumbled as the scent of natto and steamed rice hit his nose. He offered Ran a bright smile before he hopped up into his usual seat, finding his bowl of natto and rice already waiting for him on the table. Shinichi dug in eagerly, discovering that he was hungrier than he'd realized.

As he was finishing his last few bites of breakfast, Shinichi felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. It was also _his _cellphone, not the one that Edogawa Conan used. _I wonder who that could be... _He quickly excused himself from the small kitchen and went back into his bedroom, a little curious when the caller ID revealed that it was Hattori Heiji calling. He answered, one eyebrow cocked with puzzlement because he hadn't been expecting a call. "Hey, Hattori. What's going on?"

"Ever have one of those weird dreams that ya can't quite remember after wakin' up, Kudo?" Heiji sounded angered, and also slightly out of breath as he replied.

_What in the world...? _"Why are you asking me that?" Now the confusion spread, covering Shinichi's entire face. "But yeah, I know what you mean. I've had those kind of dreams a time or two."

"'Cause it feels like half th' police department down here is actin' like that all the time lately," snorted the Osakan in a rather gruff reply. "They get sent t' crime scenes an' come back swearin' they've been places their cruiser's GPS systems say they never went. Thier interview notes are awful too, an' they can't remember talkin' ta half the people they've talked ta after they're done, or they only remember parts of talkin' to people." There was an irritated huff on the other line. "It's startin' to make us look real bad."

"Um." Shinichi blinked twice, not quite sure where this conversation was going. "About how long has that been going on, Hattori? That sounds really weird."

"I can tell ya exactly when it started, Kudo. Since these stupid vanishin's here began a couple months ago." Heiji let out a snort. "People poofin' like ghosts into the night, no hide or hair of 'em at all an' no signs of violence anywhere. It's been runnin' our teams ragged." When he spoke again, he then sounded a little confused. "I've talked with ya about this before, Kudo. Don't _you_ go gettin' all weird on me too." There was was sounded like plastic crinkling. "I've had more'n enough of weird stuff lately."

_Whoa...that sounds _exactly _like what we're dealing with here in Tokyo prefecture, almost word for word. _Shinichi's eyes widened a little as the full implications began to sink in. _And what is Hattori talking about? I would _definitely _remember him mentioning something like that to me. _"No, Hattori, you definitely haven't ever talked with me about this. Believe me, I'd remember that. Although now that you mention it, we've also been having vanishings that are almost exactly like that happening here in Tokyo prefecture-"

"What d' you mean I never talked about it with you? We talked about it just th' other day!" There was more than an inkling of fear mixed in with Heiji's anger.

_OK. I need to calm him down..._"Hattori, you've never mentioned anything like that to me. Do you really think I could just completely forget something like that?" Shinichi made a point of keeping his voice carefully neutral as he spoke.

It took Heiji several moments to reply, and he was much calmer when he did. "I guess not. But see now, Kudo? That's exactly what's goin' on in the department. Somethin' ain't right." There was a long sigh. "I remember havin' this whole talk with ya yesterday...or at least I think I remember it. I guess it never happened." This was followed by more crinkling. "Maybe I should come up there an' get away for a little...it's beginnin' to really weird me out, y'know?"

"That would probably be a good idea. I'll check and see if you can come up and stay a few days, alright?" Shinichi couldn't shake a sense of urgency that he needed to get his friend out of there right that very instant.


End file.
